Ford Mustang Mach-E FIRST ROAD TRIP. The good, the bad, and the ugly truth..

TheSteelRider

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I almost hesitate to post this at the risk of fanning the flames of extremism. That said, I know Ford watches this forum, so my hope is they view this and it spurs them to take action. Although I personally don't plan to DCFC often (couple times a year, maybe?), when I do, I want it to work. This is a great video from a non-professional reviewer showing her experience.

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GoGoGadgetMachE

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I'm positive I saw this video posted on here already somewhere but I'm not finding it.
 

SteelMach

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EA has a lot of work to do, Ford has a lot of work to do.

Clearly, far more testing was required before this car was sold to the public with this EA integration of Plug&Charge. This was not a "customer-ready" feature.

Honestly, not to anger people, but it looks like maybe VW was right to launch without Plug&Charge until EA can get their act together, and OTA it down the line when it actually works. Sure, it's annoying to not have Plug&Charge, but I think that's less annoying than having *bad* Plug&Charge.
 

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EA has a lot of work to do, Ford has a lot of work to do.

Clearly, far more testing was required before this car was sold to the public with this EA integration of Plug&Charge. This was not a "customer-ready" feature.

Honestly, not to anger people, but it looks like maybe VW was right to launch without Plug&Charge until EA can get their act together, and OTA it down the line when it actually works. Sure, it's annoying to not have Plug&Charge, but I think that's less annoying than having *bad* Plug&Charge.
Perhaps a good idea to just ignore the existence of Plug & Charge for now and just charge with a regular membership or pay at the "pump." Has worked for me for six years with my prior EVs and is working now with my Mach-E. Do I wish P&C actually worked? Yes, but it can just be ignored.
 


SteelMach

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Perhaps a good idea to just ignore the existence of Plug & Charge for now and just charge with a regular membership or pay at the "pump." Has worked for me for six years with my prior EVs and is working now with my Mach-E. Do I wish P&C actually worked? Yes, but it can just be ignored.
It works for me, at least both times I've tried it it worked like a charm.

My point is that this is getting a lot more negative attention to Mach-E than I imagine saying "Plug&Charge comes in the 2nd quarter via an OTA update" would have caused. Releasing something half-baked is not a good plan, and there's just too many variables it seems to get a reliable Plug&Charge experience.

Both of mine have been great, but both of mine have been in MI, maybe Ford tested only with these models of EA chargers? Mach-E prototypes might have spent lots of time at these particular EA stations. Other setups that EA has elsewhere use different hardware, maybe Ford should have sent some test trips coast-to-coast? Idk.
 

available_username2

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EA has a lot of work to do, Ford has a lot of work to do.

Clearly, far more testing was required before this car was sold to the public with this EA integration of Plug&Charge. This was not a "customer-ready" feature.

Honestly, not to anger people, but it looks like maybe VW was right to launch without Plug&Charge until EA can get their act together, and OTA it down the line when it actually works. Sure, it's annoying to not have Plug&Charge, but I think that's less annoying than having *bad* Plug&Charge.
plug and charge works fine. EA sessions are getting ended for some reason, and you have to use a different one
 

mixduptransistor

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It seems that the location was offline, I doubt her card was actively declined. It would cost some money but EA should build into their stations that they're just in "free" mode and charge anything that plugs in if the network communication is down

If you go to a gas station and their internet is down, there's probably one across the street. Not so with DCFC stations
 

SteelMach

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It seems that the location was offline, I doubt her card was actively declined. It would cost some money but EA should build into their stations that they're just in "free" mode and charge anything that plugs in if the network communication is down

If you go to a gas station and their internet is down, there's probably one across the street. Not so with DCFC stations
EA chargers that do not have a data connection do go into free vend (or are supposed to). I have had it happen. It just says "Welcome, Free" and it charges completely free. No receipt, no app record, no FordPass credit bundle deduction.
 

mixduptransistor

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EA chargers that do not have a data connection do go into free vend (or are supposed to). I have had it happen. It just says "Welcome, Free" and it charges completely free. No receipt, no app record, no FordPass credit bundle deduction.
Well, then that is a different story. Kind of lame to blame EA for her card getting declined, they don't control the bank
 

balthisar

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Well, then that is a different story. Kind of lame to blame EA for her card getting declined, they don't control the bank
I posted my experience in another thread, where a charger in Ohio was telling my my payment method wasn't accepted, although I'd used it at other EA stations on the same trip, and ended up paying with a different card from the same bank and credit card series ("Preferred" vs "Reserve"). My bank is very quick to tell me if I have card issues, and there wasn't a card issue. It was definitely EA (for payment; still up in the air why I couldn't use my Ford credit or get in-network rates).
 

Rabidsquirrel22

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Both of mine have been great, but both of mine have been in MI, maybe Ford tested only with these models of EA chargers? Mach-E prototypes might have spent lots of time at these particular EA stations. Other setups that EA has elsewhere use different hardware, maybe Ford should have sent some test trips coast-to-coast? Idk.
Have you tested the Kalamazoo or Bay City EA chargers by chance? I would be using those the most on my trips to Chicago and up to Traverse City, so I’m just curious.
 
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SteelMach

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Have you tested the Kalamazoo or Bay City EA chargers by chance? I would be using those the most on my trips to Chicago and up to Traverse City, so I’m just curious.
Kalamazoo, Plug&Charge worked great. Only got 44 kW though but that's cause the battery doesn't warm itself up (as it should in cold weather).
 

Rabidsquirrel22

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Kalamazoo, Plug&Charge worked great. Only got 44 kW though but that's cause the battery doesn't warm itself up (as it should in cold weather).
Good to hear about P&C.

Agreed, preconditioning is absolutely something I want to see on the Mach-E by next year when I would be getting mine or it’s going to be another big point in favor of choosing a competitor who can road trip better. Crazy they weren’t even considering it while developing the vehicle in a state that gets as cold as ours.
 

available_username2

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Kalamazoo, Plug&Charge worked great. Only got 44 kW though but that's cause the battery doesn't warm itself up (as it should in cold weather).
you need to turn off the eheat in the climate control. With that off it can heat up the battery quickly
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